Freestanding sack holder

ABSTRACT

A freestanding sack holder for allowing a sack to be held and filled with sand or other packing material. The freestanding sack holder includes a hollow body that has an open top, an open bottom, and a narrowing aspect between the open top and open bottom such that the open top is wider than the open bottom. The hollow body additionally includes a pair of strap apertures that enable it to be suspended between two steps of a horizontally oriented ladder and three independently resizable telescoping legs that enable it to stand upright with the open top oriented above the open bottom. By way of the inclusion of the strap apertures and the legs, the freestanding sack holder can be used to fill a sack or other receptacle while self standing or while being suspended from a horizontally oriented straight ladder.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation in part of, claims the benefit of, and incorporates by reference co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/194,737, filed Mar. 2, 2014.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to emergency supplies and, more particularly, to a freestanding sack holder adapted to hold a sack or bag and enable it to be filled with material.

Description of the Prior Art

Every corner of the planet may be subjected to, or otherwise be affected by a natural disaster. Natural disasters, such as, including tornadoes, earthquakes, tropical cyclones, and floods, are well known for their capacity to cause damage, serious social disruption, and/or a loss of life.

Flooding is a relatively common natural disaster, and is typically caused by extensive precipitation. When flooding strikes an area, sandbags are typically used by the thousands to create an artificial barrier in effort to block or redirect water and prevent damage therefrom. These sandbags are often assembled at the site, with sand or other packing material provided and a plurality of bags provided in bulk, with the bags then being filled with the packing material sequentially. A problem which still exists, however, is that because the process of filling such bags typically requires the bags be stood or held upright with the mouth open, a second or third (or fourth) person to hold the bag open is often necessary in addition to the a person who is placing material in the bag. Thus, there remains a need for a freestanding sack holder which would eliminate the need for a second person to hold a sack while being filled with packing material. It would be helpful if such a freestanding sack holder included a plurality of clips to enable a sack to be releasably attached thereto. It would be additionally desirable for such a freestanding sack holder to be adjustable in height and horizontal orientation.

The Applicant's invention described herein provides for a sack holding apparatus adapted to releasably hold a sack open and in place, enabling it to be filled with packing material. The primary components of Applicant's freestanding sack holder are a hollow body, a plurality of legs, a pair of strap apertures, and a plurality of clip assemblies. When in operation, the freestanding sack holder allows a user to erect a structure on demand to which a plurality of sacks can be sequentially attached, filled, and detached, to be subsequently deployed together as an artificial water barrier. As a result, many of the limitations present in the prior art are removed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A freestanding sack holder for allowing a sack to be mounted and filled with sand or other packing material. The freestanding sack holder comprises a hollow body having an open top and an open bottom, at least one pair of strap apertures positioned adjacent to the open top in a diametrically opposite location relative to one another, and a plurality of telescoping legs. When in operation, the freestanding sack holder can hold a sack that is underneath what functions as a modified funnel so as to allow the sack to be filled with sand or packing material. Advantageously, with the inclusion of the strap apertures and telescoping legs, the freestanding sack holder can be used to fill a sack or other receptacle while self standing or while being suspended from a horizontally oriented straight ladder. In either scenario, the freestanding sack holder enables bags to be filled with only the efforts of one person—the person who is moving the sand or packing material.

It is an object of this invention to provide a freestanding sack holder which would eliminate the need for a second person to hold a sack while being filled with packing material.

It is another object of this invention to provide a freestanding sack holder having a plurality of clips to enable a sack to be releasably attached thereto.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a freestanding sack holder that is adjustable in height and horizontal orientation.

These and other objects will be apparent to one of skill in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a freestanding sack holder bar built in accordance with the present invention with each of its legs in an extended position.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational of the hollow body of a freestanding sack holder bar built in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of a freestanding sack holder built in accordance with the present invention with each of its legs in a retracted position.

FIG. 4 is a top elevational view showing a cross section of two freestanding sack holders built in accordance with the present invention sequentially attached to and suspended between steps of a horizontally oriented straight ladder.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings and in particular FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, a freestanding sack holder 10 is shown as a hollow body 11 a that is disposed on three telescoping legs 12. In one embodiment, the hollow body 11 a is formed from a rigid, single piece structure that has an open circular top and an open circular bottom. In one embodiment, the hollow body 11 a includes a narrowing aspect which forms the hollow body 11 a as a modified funnel and results in its open top being wider than its open bottom

Each of the telescoping legs 12 are independently resizable from a length perspective, enabling the height of the freestanding sack holder 10 to be adjustable as well as the freestanding sack holder 10 to be erected on a slope and still stand in an upright, flat orientation. In an embodiment, the telescoping legs 12 are removably attachable to the hollow body 11 a. In another embodiment, the telescoping legs 12 are fixedly attachable to the hollow body 11 a.

The hollow body 11a of the freestanding sack holder 10 is adapted to hold a sack 13 that is underneath and extends downward under the open bottom through a plurality of clip assemblies 14. In this regard, the clip assemblies 14 operate to attach the sack 13 to the hollow body 11 a. Advantageously, when a sack 13 is attached to the freestanding sack holder 10, sand or other packing material which is dropped into the open top is funneled through the hollow body 11 a and out of the open bottom into the sack 13.

Each clip assembly 14 is defined by a spring loaded clip in the preferred embodiment. In an alternate embodiment, the clip assembly may be defined by an aperture in the surface of the hollow body 11 a and an accompanying clip, defined in one embodiment as clip having two interlocking plastic or wooden prongs, in between which is wedged a small spring.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4, the hollow body 11 a additionally includes a pair of strap apertures 11 b, each positioned right below the open top of the hollow body 11 a in a diametrically opposite location relative to the other strap aperture. In one embodiment, the strap apertures 11 b each define a rectangular opening. In one embodiment, a strap knockout is initially positioned over the strap apertures 11 b and defines removable portion that covers the strap apertures 11 b until manually removed to reveal the opening. In such an embodiment, the combined strap aperture may be defined by a partially stamped opening with the strap knockout operating as a removable knockout.

The strap apertures 11 b provide an alternate assembly option for the freestanding sack holder 10, in that they enable the hollow body 11 a to be attached to and suspended between two steps of a straight ladder (or extension ladder) that held horizontally in an elevated position relative to the ground (which could be accomplished, for example, by placing each end of the ladder on a sawhorse). It is appreciated that this may be accomplished is accomplished by passing a strap 15 a, namely a narrow strip of a flexible material, through one of the strap apertures 11 b and tying or otherwise fixing that strap 15 a to a first step of the ladder so as to couple the hollow body with the first step. Then, another strap may be passed through the opposing strap aperture (of the pair) and tied or otherwise fixed to the next step of the ladder so as to couple the hollow body with the next step at a diametrically opposite location relative to where the hollow body is coupled to the first step. Through this action, the hollow body 11 a may be suspended between adjacent steps of a straight ladder.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, it is appreciated that a plurality of hollow bodies 11 a may be mounted to a horizontally oriented straight ladder 15, suspended between adjacent steps, to enable a plurality of bags to be filled simultaneously while still only requiring the efforts of one person.

It is contemplated that because the strap apertures 11 b each define a rectangular opening, each will include a linear upper edge. Advantageously, this shape ensures an even weight distribution when a strap (i.e. a narrow usually flat strip) is inserted therein.

It is appreciated that being self standing on its legs or being able to be suspended from a horizontally oriented ladder confers a significantly advantage because in the event of a pending disaster, it allows one to fill sand bags even if the legs are missing (or a ladder is not present) and without requiring the use of specialized (i.e. unlikely to be available in substantial numbers) parts

The instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A freestanding sack holder, comprising: a hollow body having an open top and an open bottom; at least one pair of strap apertures integral with said hollow body, wherein each strap aperture in the at least one pair of strap apertures is positioned adjacent to said open top in a diametrically opposite location relative to the other strap aperture and said hollow body is configured to be suspended between two steps of a horizontally oriented ladder with the open top oriented above the open bottom and each strap aperture in the at least one pair of strap apertures coupled with one of the steps; and a plurality of telescoping legs, each having a length that is independently resizable, wherein said hollow body is configured to stand upright with the open top oriented above the open bottom when disposed on a plurality of telescoping legs.
 2. The freestanding sack holder of claim 1, wherein the hollow body includes a narrowing aspect such that the open top is wider than the open bottom.
 3. The freestanding sack holder of claim 1, wherein the strap apertures include an linear upper edge.
 4. The freestanding sack holder of claim 1, wherein said hollow body includes a plurality of clip assemblies disposed thereon and said hollow body is configured to hold a sack in a position that allows material falling from the open bottom to be directed into the sack being held with the plurality of clip assemblies.
 5. The freestanding sack holder of claim 4, wherein said clip assemblies are defined as a spring loaded clip.
 6. A freestanding sack holder, comprising: a hollow body having an open top and an open bottom, wherein the hollow body includes a narrowing aspect such that the open top is wider than the open bottom; at least one pair of strap apertures integral with said hollow body, wherein each strap aperture in the at least one pair of strap apertures is positioned adjacent to said open top in a diametrically opposite location relative to the other strap aperture and said hollow body is configured to be suspended between two steps of a horizontally oriented ladder with the open top oriented above the open bottom and each strap aperture in the at least one pair of strap apertures coupled with one of the steps; a plurality of telescoping legs, each having a length that is independently resizable, wherein said hollow body is configured to stand upright with the open top oriented above the open bottom when disposed on a plurality of telescoping legs; and wherein said hollow body includes a plurality of clip assemblies disposed thereon and said hollow body is configured to hold a sack in a position that allows material falling from the open bottom to be directed into the sack being held with the plurality of clip assemblies.
 7. The freestanding sack holder of claim 6, wherein the strap apertures include an linear upper edge.
 8. The freestanding sack holder of claim 7, wherein said clip assemblies are defined as a spring loaded clip.
 9. The freestanding sack holder of claim 6, wherein said clip assemblies are defined as a spring loaded clip. 